Welcome to Sunday, Bangkok!
It’s been a busy few days in the capital, what with the announcement that the ‘Humans of New York’ project is coming next week to shoot photos and stories, a Thai model in hot water after she published explicit panty shots in a McDonalds, and Bangkok motorcy drivers protesting the presence of Grab in the city…
100’s of motorbike taxi drivers along Sukhumvit Rd – a demonstration or protest? pic.twitter.com/CEWlkt5aan
— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) May 17, 2018
Let’s see what else has been entertaining and enraging Bangkok this week…
Post Contents
News
Thai woman speaks out after undercover filming by British pickup artist
Western pickup artists are well known for their tendency to secretly film themselves attempting to pick up unsuspecting women in Asian countries. David Bond is probably the most infamous vlogger operating in and around Thailand right now, but it was one of his so-called ‘disciples’ who made headlines in Bangkok this week.
A British vlogger, going by the name ‘Explorer Nick’, came under fire after a woman he had filmed without her consent came forward about her experiences to Coconuts and then made a complaint with the Bangkok police.
Nick had filmed Sawitree ‘Sky’ Paotadaeng without her knowledge or consent at Terminal 21 shopping mall last week, during which episode he asked her out and got rejected quite emphatically. Sky was upset when she discovered the encounter had been filmed and posted online — she hadn’t seen any cameras on him during their conversation so assumes he must have hidden one in his pocket.
Scummy move, Nick. Scummy move.
US retiree arrested, accused of running ‘sex tours’ on Burma border
A 66-year old American on a retirement visa was arrested this week after a sting operation that allegedly exposed his online brothel business.
The man, who lived in Chiang Rai, was reportedly the owner of website and Facebook page ‘Burmese Border Chicks for Hire’, that arranged sexual assignations between women from Myanmar and men in Thailand for 6,500 baht a time.
It’s thought the business had been operating for at least a decade, and was halted in its tracks after a sting that saw the man bring two young Myanmar women across the border to a Mae Sai hotel to meet undercover cops posing as clients.
The charge of procuring prostitution carries up to ten years in prison.
Mass dog grave discovered outside government quarantine
In more truly appalling news, a reporter from news outlet Khaosod discovered a mass grave of dogs and cats outside Nakhon Phanom Quarantine Station this week.
The reporter found more than 10 pits around 50 metres from the government-run facility, produced photos showing decomposing body parts sticking out of the ground and commented on the foul odour in the area.
Apparently a member of staff at the facility admitted that they bury the dogs there when they die from ‘unknown causes’ in periods of hot weather.
Over 3,000 street dogs and cats were taken to the quarantine earlier this year after a rabies scare that was quickly revealed to be a false alarm. The head of the station said that only 800 dogs were still alive this week, although this number was contradicted by the Livestock Director who claimed around 2,500 were still alive.
Blogs
Is it the end of an era for the Western expat?
The Dan About Thailand blog is this week debating whether it’s the ‘end of an era’ for Western expats in Thailand — he comes to the conclusion that it is.
But his reasoning for this is simply that the girlie bar scene is being marginalised, and that there are more Chinese people arriving than ever before. Maybe it’s an end of an era if you love prostitutes and hate Chinese people but for the rest of us living in Thailand, these two things have a very minor impact on daily life in the Kingdom — although we concede it’s probably much different for expats in Bangkok vs those in Pattaya.
Stranger still, he cites Singapore as a huge hub for Western expats, without recognising the irony that there are many more Chinese people and far less girlie bars there than in Thailand.
Maybe it is the end of an era for Western expats in Thailand — but only for a certain subsection of them.
Forum Threads
Why Thais love their new cars that cost almost as much as condos
Anyone who’s lived in Thailand a while will likely be well aware of the mind-bogglingly high prices of cars for sale in the country. This Reddit thread is discussing why Thai people love owning new cars so much and why they’re happy to pay those astronomical prices (with a reputed 100% VAT rate on imports!).
Of course, it all comes down to one thing: status symbols. In Thailand, cars are the ultimate consumption object that signal to your friends and colleagues that you are a big deal. With the incredible availability of loans on offer in the country, it’s no surprise that Thais from every conceivable financial background are lining up to sign on the dotted line.
Does my Thai wife really understand me?
An interesting thread on Thaivisa forum this week on an issue that must crop up in many different nationality relationships — does your partner ever truly understand you?
There are lots of different opinions on the matter, with some people saying that all you need to do is to put in the hard work to make your own form of communication with your wife, while others say that understanding only comes when both sides of the relationship are prepared to work at it.
And, of course, there are the cynics:
YouTube
I’m guessing from all the chicks in orange hot pants doing the Macarena outside the bts that Hooters Silom has opened.
— Ally (@ohmyal) May 16, 2018
Netflix Thailand-branded BTS station. It apparently has only 3% of the trains that US stations have. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5PwbagNSjS
— Bob James (@NotThatBobJames) May 15, 2018
Living up country. pic.twitter.com/mnlvS4OnMf
— Mike Baird Cartoonist (@mike_cartoonist) May 16, 2018
On 1 May speedboat operators were banned from picking up passengers from the beach in Pattaya. You’d never guess. https://t.co/JCm4zQYDBh pic.twitter.com/uJtqnR4N8Y
— Ian (@iamKohChang) May 16, 2018
In those Sukhumwit Road pool bars, do you still get the sweet and gentle Thai girls who offer you a friendly game and then turn into ‘Satan’s arse’ when you call a foul shot?
— Phil / Ajarn.com (@Ajarncom) May 16, 2018
Photo Of The Day
(Pic cr.Manassiri) pic.twitter.com/dlUxbfp3ZA
— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) May 16, 2018
What’s wrong with the cheese? 😂 pic.twitter.com/swF6p4C2SC
— 🐒🙈🙉🙊🐵👌 (@thaipirate) May 15, 2018
No, not the street-fried chicken nor the numerous frangipani, the best smell of #Thailand is the smell of a trapped mosquito burning, caught with a swing of my electric anti-mosquito racquet.
— Justin Dunne (@justindunne) May 14, 2018
And that’s been The Week On Sukhumvit — see you next time!
